Banner Thursday—Bucking Convention Cover

After a long hiatus, I'm back to Banner Thursday. YAY!

Today, I'm featuring the cover for Bucking Convention, the follow up to Surviving the Trap.

                                 

For this cover, I wanted a to keep the main focus of something a little steamy but not make a big change so the covers and series stayed tied together. I opted to use a purple wash to hopefully show the progression and deepening of Max and Maggie relationship. 

Take a look…

Tagline: A tragic loss puts Cutter on the edge and it's up to Maggie to pull him back.

Blurb: Max and Maggie survive Hell Week and start a relationship that works. Tragedy strikes Max's wingman and when Maggie shows up as the replacement, she discovers a very different Max. Not a good thing when he lives to fly… and can't.

Maggie wants to support Max and help get him back on an even keel, but living and working with him tests her patience and mettle. It's so much easier to handle two tons of space craft than a surly man.

Available on Amazon

Coming Soon—Banner and Cover for Dress for Dinner

The final installment of Top Dog Pilots

Thanks for reading!

Please visit my website

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

I'm revisiting one of my first releases, Shyler: Finding Home, one of the offerings from the Furlough 99 line from Ellipses Press. I'll be posting a series of pivotal scenes over the next couple of weeks. Please enjoy!

Today's post features Marshton Grey's introduction.

Book Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

Series Tagline: Furlough 99: The last stop before uncharted space. Welcome to the ass end of the universe.

~*~

Greyswell Industries—Head Office—Queen City, Mars

"What's the death toll?"

"One hundred and fifty-seven as of ten a.m. this morning."

Marshton Grey nodded curtly, accepting the information and his chief of security quickly exited the plush office. The man had gone above and beyond by keeping Marsh informed of the situation. Now Marsh had to do damage control and nip the problem in the bud. He'd already laid the building blocks to make that happen.

Marsh stood up from behind his desk, gathered his travel documents and pressed the intercom to his admin.

"Lucy, I'm unavailable until further notice."

"Have a safe journey," her soothing voice answered. "I'll see you aren't disturbed, Mr. Grey."

Marsh trusted her to do exactly that. Super-efficient, his admin would block, handle, or delegate whatever came up while he had to be off planet. He peeled off his suit and tie, and threw on a pair of comfortable dungarees. Didn't worry about an overnight bag, he had plenty of wardrobe options located where he'd be headed.

Furlough 99.

Ass end of the universe.

Available on Amazon

More e-retailers coming soon!

~*~

Series Blurb: The last stop before the emptiness of unknown space, Furlough 99 is inhabited with a myriad of personalities, each one looking for something different, something they can only find at the end of the line. With a bar called the Den of Inequity and a whole station devoted to pleasure and hedonism, there's nothing that can't be found here, or won't.

Book Blurb: Inspector Shyler Lumen and entrepreneur Marshton Gray don't have much in common. A manhunt for a brilliantly mad chemist brings them together and sparks fly. Shyler and Marsh can fight the wave of change… or grab hold and go along for the ride.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Ignition Failure

Gotta say, I'm fairly easy to entertain, but I love it when the shows I watch elevate my standards. Right now, just about all my faves are hitting one hundred percent satisfaction levels. Once again, The Walking Dead blew me away. My super hero shows, Arrow, The Flash, Agents of SHIELD and Gotham are amping up the tension. My batshit insane shows, Haven, Sleepy Hollow, and Sons of Anarchy keep getting a little crazier and that keeps me glued to the television.

I also like a good mystery and got to watch Inspector Lewis last week. I usually catch up on the series when it's available on DVD, but I couldn't sleep and PBS was showing it. I've also been watching previous seasons of The Murdoch Mysteries (also known as The Artful Detective) on Ovation. Why they changed the name for US television is beyond me, but it's a great, fun Canadian show.

Tonight's post is from Ignition Failure, currently a sexy short that seems to want to hit novella status. LOL

Here's the tagline:

Favin Hart finally gets the man of her dreams but freaks out and ends up marrying another guy. Less than twenty-four hours later, she's facing the music and trying to fix her mess.

And a sneaky peek…

Favin glanced in Parrish's direction. "You know how you're all excited about launching and you get an ignition failure? It sucks the air right out of your lungs…"

Parrish nodded. "Yeah, I know."

She waved a hand. "That's how I felt when I woke up today. A horrible morning after regret." She shook her head. "Worst mistake ever. Why the hell did I listen to Howie?"

Parrish quirked a brow. "You were still drunk?"

Ouch. But she deserved the dig.

She shrugged. "No, just scared and he gave me an easy way out." Her shoulders slumped.

Not so easy.

Parrish sat up, his eyes wide. "Getting married to someone else is easier than being with me? Hell, Favin, I didn't even suggest marriage." He snorted. "Maybe I should have."

Favin jerked her head back and forth. "No. No way. I didn't want to get married. Ever." She straightened, leaned forward and put her forearms on the table. "My parents sucked at it. No reason to think I'll do any better." She huffed out a harsh breath. "Hell, I'm not doing any better. Less than twenty-four hours and I’m with another man talking about how much of a big ass mistake I made." On a roll, she kept spilling her guts. "The same man I had sex with less than six hours before I got married." She glanced up. "God, Parrish. Why don't you tell me to fuck off and walk away?"

Parrish sank back against his chair. "Because I can't, Fav. That would be easy. And I've learned something in the last day." He pinned her with his gaze. "I don't want easy. I want you."

Don't even ask me where the idea for this one came from, I've yet to figure it out, but once the characters took hold, I had to write their story.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Banner Thursday—Bucking Convention

After a long hiatus, I'm back to Banner Thursday. YAY!

Today, I'm featuring the banner for Bucking Convention, the follow up to Surviving the Trap.

                                 

For this banner, I wanted to keep the deep space feel but needed something a little more moody and somber. Cutter experiences the tragic loss of his wingman and doesn't deal well at all. I also needed to imply a little bit of a feminine tone because Maggie arrives to help Max out.

Take a look…

Tagline: A tragic loss puts Cutter on the edge and it's up to Maggie to pull him back.

Blurb: Max and Maggie survive Hell Week and start a relationship that works. Tragedy strikes Max's wingman and when Maggie shows up as the replacement, she discovers a very different Max. Not a good thing when he lives to fly… and can't.

Long Blurb: Max and Maggie survive Hell Week and start a relationship that works. Tragedy strikes Cutter's wingman and when Maggie shows up as the replacement, she discovers a very different Max. Not a good thing when he lives to fly… and can't.

Maggie wants to support Max and help get him back on an even keel, but living and working with him tests her patience and mettle. It's so much easier to handle two tons of space craft than a surly man.

Available on Amazon

Other E-retailers coming soon!

Coming Soon—Cover Reveal!

Thanks for reading!

Please visit my website

Sunday Snippet: Hot Rocks

October 19, 2014

Greetings!

Whew. Great television this past week. The Walking Dead premiere didn't disappoint. So happy it's back on my TV. And I'm all caught up on everything I normally watch. The Flash and Arrow are still kicking ass. Sons of Anarchy is totally insane and I can't wait to see how everything ends.

On Demand has me up to date on Haven, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of SHIELD, and Gotham. Pretty thrilled with Gotham so far. Some interesting little twists on the lore I'm quite enjoying.

Tonight's post is from Hot Rocks, a novella where my hero and heroine are put through the ringer.

Here's the tagline:

Ada and Walt are taken by the enemy and subjected to torture. They won't find a better time to examine their long and storied past, right?

And a sneaky peek…

Ava struggled against the restraints. "Look, Walt. I fought beside you. And yet, you still doubt I can survive?" Of course, another round with the electotongs didn't really appeal either.

Walt sputtered. "No. It's not that." His shoulders slumped, pulled hers back. "It's just…" He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

He didn't have to say it. "Right. That chivalrous streak you can't ever seem to shake." Fighting the ache in her arms, she continued working on the tethers, ignoring the blood dripping from her wrists, too pissed off to care. "Well, guess what, Walt? You should take a good long look and realize no one gives a shit about how men treat women. Most don't even consider females the weaker sex anymore."

Walt countered. "It's not about women being weaker… it's about being decent in the face of adversity. I haven't always been."

She stopped trying to escape. "Right. Since when?" The guy ranked doing the right thing akin to breathing.

Walt heaved a sigh. "Logan died because of me, because I didn't wait to retreat." He blew out a hard breath. "I ordered everyone to fall back, but he wouldn't leave."

Ava tensed at the mention of Logan. "Why the hell not? You gave a direct order." She'd loved Logan, but orders were orders.

Walt lifted a shoulder. "We fought about the maneuver. He wanted to clear the village and I accepted the stragglers as collateral damage. We didn't have time to get everyone out and the colonel needed us to hold the line."

Ava shook her head. "Which you could've done with half a platoon, leaving the rest behind to gather up the survivors and get them to safety."

Walt snorted. "Exactly. But I was too cocky and arrogant to even consider another option. I gave my order and he disobeyed it." He paused. "And I left him. Alone. To die."

Ava's eyes slid shut. Son of a bitch. Such a waste. All because Walt couldn't be wrong. Red hot anger surged through her. She opened her mouth to blast Walt for being an asshole, but the heavy clang of the door interrupted her tirade.

Woggins entered, wearing a sinister smile on his face. "Well, my sweet Ava, are you ready for another round?"

Seriously? My money's on Ava this time around. :D

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

I'm revisiting one of my first releases, Shyler: Finding Home, one of the offerings from the Furlough 99 line from Ellipses Press. I'll be posting a series of pivotal scenes over the next couple of weeks. Please enjoy!

Today's post features Shyler's interaction with a droid on Furlough 99.

Book Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

Series Tagline: Furlough 99: The last stop before uncharted space. Welcome to the ass end of the universe.

~*~

Shyler elbowed her way out of the transport and ran through her mental checklist. First, she had to find out who to cajole, threaten, or bribe to be able to work in relative peace or at least not step on toes. Second, find a place to meet, and third, well, she needed to take care of the first two before worrying about number three. She glanced around, found a porter and flagged him down.

"Can you tell me who runs security—not the official kind—on Furlough and where the best place to meet would be?" As he got closer, Shyler realized 'he' was a droid, very lifelike, but a machine nonetheless. "And um… maybe how I can get a message to them?"

Droids always threw her. She never knew if they had to have commands or if simple conversations were possible. And of course it always varied by model.

The blond machine's eyes blinked several times then looked directly at her. "Oh, they'll find you, sweetie cakes. Trust me."

Shyler couldn't help it, she laughed out loud. And felt much more at ease. An android who talked like a flaming queen? Exactly what she needed to feel more at home.

Her outburst stopped a gentleman on the glide path in his tracks. She flicked her gaze sideways and narrowed her eyes. She'd seen him before but couldn't place where. The answer hovered just out of reach, yet she knew he'd come from Mars, the rock she called home.

He had to be from Queen City, the largest metropolis on the red planet. 4.5 million souls strewn throughout—from the swank, high end condos down to the no rent tent squats—and she ran into one of them way out on Furlough?

Interesting.

Dismissing him, Shyler focused on the droid again. "I'm sorry. They'll find me?"

The porter shocked her again when he rolled his eyes. "Sweetie cakes, you've got enforcement written all over you." He made air quotes to emphasis enforcement.

Shyler chuckled. "I'm not enforcement per se. More like ISP. And I'm not exactly trying to hide it. Don't have the time to waste going covert." The guy from home moved away slowly, maybe too slowly, and it piqued her curiosity.

Available on Amazon

More e-retailers coming soon!

~*~

Series Blurb: The last stop before the emptiness of unknown space, Furlough 99 is inhabited with a myriad of personalities, each one looking for something different, something they can only find at the end of the line. With a bar called the Den of Inequity and a whole station devoted to pleasure and hedonism, there's nothing that can't be found here, or won't.

Book Blurb: Inspector Shyler Lumen and entrepreneur Marshton Gray don't have much in common. A manhunt for a brilliantly mad chemist brings them together and sparks fly. Shyler and Marsh can fight the wave of change… or grab hold and go along for the ride.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Hide and Seek

Hi!

Wow, what a week in TV. The Flash and Arrow premieres rocked pretty much the whole week. I'm all caught up on Haven, Sleepy Hollow, and Agents of SHIELD. Sons of Anarchy had a solid episode and The Walking Dead premieres tonight!!

YAY!

The cast of Bitten went to the New York Comic Con and images and interviews are lining up on my Tumblr dashboard. I also got my season one DVDs this week. Rewatch ahoy!

Thinking it's a good time to dust of my recap blog and get back doing Arrow and Bitten recaps, along with maybe a weekly roundup to include The Flash. I may also vent my frustration with the new series of Doctor Who… or not. Who knows. LOL

Tonight's post is from Hide and Seek, a sexy short story about how a test flight leads to my characters finally acting on their attraction for each other.

Here's the tagline:

Ella Dane is an ace pilot who volunteers to test fly a new spacecraft, if only to prove Nick Fontana wrong about its possibilities. When Ella disappears during the initial run, Nick is left wondering what he'll do without Ella in his life.

And a sneaky peek…

Ella paced back and forth, amping up for the test flight. Had she really volunteered to be the first to fly the newly created bird?

Um, yes.

Much to Nick's dismay. She didn't know what she enjoyed more. Proving him wrong or getting first crack at something before he did.

Ha! Why choose? It could be a dead heat, couldn't it?

Nick stuck his head in the doorway. "Hey. You good to go?"

She nodded. "Yep. Getting there." The butterflies in her stomach had to be normal. "What's it like?"

Nick pondered how to answer. "Exhilarating. Mind-blowing. In short… it's a total rush."

She'd figured as much. "Wanna fly my wing?"

His mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

Ella shrugged. "Why not? Just because you didn't think we'd ever get off the ground doesn't mean you should have a part in all this."

Nick didn't bother to hide his surprise. "And you're being so cool about this, why?" His eyes narrowed. "I gave everyone a hard time. Never believed you'd pull it off."

Ella tilted her head to the side. "Look, you weren't afraid to say what everyone else was—deep down where it gets you—afraid to say. That we were all insane to even try. You took on all the doubt so we could make it happen." She waited a beat. "Just to prove you wrong."

Nick snorted softly. "Wow. I had no idea how big of a role I played."

Ella grinned. "You weren't supposed to." She pulled open his locker and grabbed his flight helmet. "Come on. Let's get you suited up."

Nick took the proffered headgear. "Well, okay then." He rocked back on his heels. "Want one last piece of advice?"

Ella nodded. "Sure." She started toward the hatch.

Nick followed. "Go with your instincts. You're the one in the cockpit." Out in the corridor, he paused and waited for Ella to give him her full attention. "The LSO, people on comms—none of them have your perspective. Push the plane. Do unexpected things. But listen to your gut… and the machine. It could save your life."

Ella considered his words then nodded. "Thanks." She started down the causeway.

Nick snagged her arm. "And if it doesn't feel right. Eject. Don't hesitate."

Ella rolled her eyes. "Got it. And you're not going to make me nervous." She nodded toward the ready room. "Go. Suit up. Wheels up in thirty."

If all goes well, this one should release sometime this spring. YAY!

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Hedging Bets

October 5, 2014

Greetings!

Ugh. I got a few days off and decided to get a nasty cold. LOL Nothing like mixing sinus meds with everything else. :D

This week in TV is almost a bust. I don't think I've watched anything in real time, with the exception of Sons of Anarchy. No comment from me, but my big wish from a few weeks ago still holds true AND I'm pretty sure Jax is fighting a war from within. We'll find out if I'm on the right track soon. J

Arrow premiers this week and hopefully I'll be home to watch it live. I can't wait. And this time next week should see The Walking Dead gracing my screen again. YAY!

Tonight's post is from Hedging Bets, a sexy short where my main characters have to work out their issues or stay stuck in a brig cell.

Here's the tagline:

Lettie and Thane have issues that are getting in the way of their work and are thrown into separate cells for being insubordinate to a superior officer. Their commander decides they can stay locked up—in the same cell—until they work their crap out or one of them calls for a body bag.

And a sneaky peek…

Thad Sorenson had had enough. He requested the corporal to unlock Lettie's cell and ordered her into Thane's.

"If you think I'm going to apologize to him."

"If you think I'm going to apologize to her."

"Enough!" Sorenson shouted. "You two better work it out. Now." He grabbed the keys from the corporal and locked them in together. "You can leave, Corporal. Other than bringing them their meals, I don't want anyone else in here. Use the station outside until I order otherwise."

The corporal nodded and exited the brig with the captain.

Lettie whirled around. "I hate you." She paced back and forth.

Thane snorted. "Feeling's mutual." He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

She stopped mid stride. "What the hell crawled up your old man's ass?" She dropped down onto the single cot. "We fight and argue all the time. Why pick now to get all pissed off about it?"

Thane frowned and pondered the question. He and Lettie did have a tendency to take opposite sides in any conversation… and yeah, sometimes their discussions grew heated. But Thane couldn't come up with a quick or easy answer for why his dad would put them in a cell together and tell the corporal to leave. Unless… memories of his dad making Thane and his brother Trace stay in their tree house until they either duked it out or made peace hit Thane hard. His dad wouldn't pull a juvenile move like that would he? Ha. Yes, he would.

Thane snagged the chair in the corner and dragged it in front of the cot. "Maybe my dad sees something between you and me and wants us to either work it out or get over it." Lettie made a skeptical face. "Something like what?" She kicked her boots off and swung her legs up onto the thin mattress.

Thane quirked a brow. "Come on, Lettie. It's just you and me in this cell. What do you think he sees?" He followed her lead and toed off his shoes.

Lettie hopped up and paced the floor again. "Nothing that requires us to be locked in a small space together." She paused and shot him a sideways glance. "Right?"

He should've expected her to hedge her reply. He stood and closed the distance between them, backing her into the corner of the cell.

Leaning in, he spoke quietly. "I'm not so sure about that…" He tilted his head. "My old man rarely makes a bet he can't win. I'd wager he figures some alone time is a sure fix."

Lettie nodded, her tongue flicking out over her lower lip before she lifted her chin. Thane slanted his mouth over hers and holy hell, why did they argue so much when they could've been doing the lip lock thing?

I've been saying this a lot lately, but Lettie and Thane are sooooo much fun to write. :D

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye